Almost
by ladywentworth
Summary: Mako's determined to find out who helped the Red Lotus into Zoafu, and reason away his worry for Korra. Takes place during "The Terror Within". Missing Moment-Canon-compliant. One-shot.


**All recognizable characters and allusions are property of Nickelodeon and the creators of The Legend of Korra.**

Suyin Beifong's sitting room was cold. Mako held his hands clasped together in front of him, trying to stop them from shaking. They weren't shaking from the cold.

Across from him Korra lay helplessly, her eyes the only part of her body that she had any control over-they stared up at the ceiling, then looked at Aiwei when he gave her the shirshu toxin remedy, and finally looked at him-looked at him, Asami, and Bolin, that is-helplessly. When her fingers began to twitch, Mako felt a wave of relief wash over him and the tightness in his chest lessened.

He vaguely heard Lin and Su arguing about what happened, his eyes and mind focused solely on Korra, who was slowly getting up, albeit weakly.

_Thank the spirits. She's fine. She's going to be fine_, he thought.

"Th-the guards," Korra said, her voice strained with effort. "It must have been one of them."

"I agree," Aiwei replied solemnly.

"Question them all!" Su snapped, hands balled tightly at her sides. "Whoever betrayed my city will suffer the consequences!"

Mako was able to tear his eyes away from Korra to watch Su storm out of the room angrily.

_Someone helped them,_ Mako realized, recalling Aiwei's words from moments earlier. _Someone in this city _helped_those criminals get to Korra._

His hands curled into fists as the realization hit him. "We need to question them all right now," he said, looking up at Lin.

Lin crossed her arms and nodded. "Yes. Aiwei, gather all the guards who were on duty tonight and bring them to me for questioning."

Aiwei clasped his hands behind his back. "Perhaps this matter should be left for the morning. I'd be more than happy to offer my services for questioning."

"You want to let the guard-or guards, for that matter-who let in four of the most dangerous criminals in the world into this city to kidnap the Avatar _stay free for another night_?" Lin snapped. She pointed out the window. "They could be leaving Zoafu right now! Just like Zaheer and his crew left not twenty minutes ago!"

Aiwei regarded Lin somberly. "No one is going anywhere. We've closed off anyone's leaving Zoafu for the time being."

Lin scoffed and opened her mouth to say something when Asami interrupted her.

"I think we should get Korra back to her room. She needs to rest."

Korra was already sitting upright, shaking her head. "No. I'm fine. I want to be there when they question the guards."

Mako had the urge to sit by her side and offer his side for support, but that would only end in her shoving him off.

"If Korra wants to be there for questioning, we should wait until morning," Aiwei said, looking down at Korra. "You do need to rest. The shirshu toxin will be in your system for a few more hours."

"Get Korra to her room," Lin ordered, looking in their direction. When Korra started to protest Lin held up her hand to quiet her. "Can it. You've been through hell and you need to sleep. All of you," Lin said, looking over at the three of them on the couch, her eyes lingering on him before looking back to Aiwei. "Fine. We'll question the guards in the morning. I'm going to make sure _no one_ leaves the estate. Have them all ready for questioning at daybreak. We're going to find out who did this."

She leaned over and touched Korra gently on the shoulder-the most kind gesture Mako had ever seen her make in the entire time he'd known her-and squeezed gently. "I'll make sure we don't start questioning without you there."

Korra looked up at her and smiled weakly. "Thanks."

Bolin and Asami quickly got up and helped Korra to her feet and began leading her out of the room. She really must have been feeling unwell-Korra never liked help unless there was no way for her to refuse. Mako watched them leave and got to his feet.

"I think I'm also going to retire for the night," Aiwei said, nodding at Lin. "Goodnight."

Lin said nothing and crossed her arms as Aiwei walked out.

"If this were Republic City, the perps would be long gone by now," Mako said, mirroring Lin's stance.

Lin snorted. "If this were Republic City, I would not have let it happen in the first place."

Mako didn't exactly agree with her-they'd gotten in under all of their noses-but said nothing. "I can start looking for evidence, Chief. Zaheer and the rest couldn't have gone-"

"You should go and sleep, Mako," Lin said, glancing at him. "We'll begin the investigation later."

"Chief, I could-"

Lin held her hand up to silence him like she had for Korra earlier. "No. If you want to help me with this investigation you need to be ready at daybreak. Can I count on you, Mako?"

Mako clenched his jaw and nodded. "Of course, Chief."

"Goodnight, then." Lin nodded in the direction of the doorway.

Mako nodded and started walking out, shaking off the chill of the room.

"Oh, and Mako?"

He glanced back to see Lin look at him with...sympathy? "You should make sure Korra's alright."

The words brought back the tight feeling in his chest and he could only nod before continuing on his way out. The rest of Su's house was dark as he made his way outside and it irked him somehow. How could everyone just go back to sleep and act like nothing happened?

His irritation grew once he was out in the cold, dry air of the ruined courtyard and his eyes strayed to the wreckage where Zaheer and his gang had been not long before. He'd warned Korra that she should have taken those criminals seriously, but even he was surprised at how easily they had infiltrated the city and how they'd managed to subdue Korra. The image of Korra limply hung over the lavabender's shoulder was fresh in his mind and sent a shudder down his spine. What would have happened if he'd been too late?

_Don't think about that_, he thought, shaking his head and resuming his walk. _Korra's fine. They didn't take her. This isn't Tarrlok all over again._

At least Tarrlok had only been one guy. These were four powerful benders that even he'd underestimated. What could they possibly want with Korra? Mako had asked himself this question numerous times ever since he found out about them in Ba Sing Se, and his answers were endless and pointless. The only people who knew were them and they were already long gone, probably. Whoever helped them must have given them the means for escape.

_And they want to start the investigation in the morning_, he thought acidly.

He reached the guest house where Korra was staying and he stopped, unsure. Lin's suggestion echoed in his head and in all honesty checking on her was all he wanted. He walked up to the door and found it slightly ajar. The lights in the living room were turned on and Bolin sat on one of the couches, his head lolling like he was fighting to stay awake and sleep was winning.

"Hey, Bo," Mako said, coming fully into the room.

Bolin's head jerked up and his eyes were alert, scanning the room until he saw Mako. "Oh, Mako, it's just you. I'm still a little jumpy."

Mako walked over and sat down next to him. "Yeah, me too. Is Korra alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Asami went in to tuck her in." Bolin yawned and rubbed his eyes. "What a crazy night. I was dreaming about eating giant piles of kale with Opal and then suddenly-Korra's being kidnapped! It was like something out of a nightmare!"

"Tell me about it," Mako muttered.

"Those guys are _really_ bad," Bolin said, yawning again. "I can't believe they almost got Korra."

Mako grit his teeth and nodded. "Me neither."

Bolin leaned back on the sofa. "Thanks for believing in me. About the shot. I didn't think I'd make it."

"You did great, little bro," he replied, clapping his hand on Bolin's shoulder.

Asami walked out of the hallway that led to the bedrooms, rubbing her eyes as she came into the living room. "Korra's sleeping. I gave the rest of the remedy to Naga and she's fine, too." She walked over to them and sat down next to Mako. "We should all go to sleep."

Bolin got up and yawned again. "Yeah. I'm beat. Let's go."

Asami patted Mako's shoulder and got up and he got to his feet after her. He looked back towards the bedrooms, wishing he could go to her. But she was sleeping. He'd only keep her from getting the rest she needed.

Mako was the last out of Korra's house and he closed the door with a definite click and followed after Asami and Bolin. Asami left for her house after wishing them goodnight, hiding a delicate yawn behind her hand as she waved goodbye. Bolin wasted no time in crashing on top of his bed as soon as they got to their room and was snoring within minutes.

Mako lay in bed for a long while after Bolin's snores quieted into steady breathing, staring at the ceiling and trying to calm the storm in his mind. His thoughts were torn between the events of the night and conjuring up theories about who could have possibly been involved with the super criminals after Korra. Korra's face floated in his mind, too, but he tried to ignore it and focused on what he _could_ think about. He could think about tonight and theorize logically. He could arrange his thoughts to flow from one to the next as he considered the methods he could use to interrogate in the morning, remember his training in thoroughly analyzing a scene and piecing together events, he could even justify his inability to sleep because the mattress he was sleeping on was too soft-but the thought and image of Korra was not something he could think logically about. It had never been that way.

He rolled onto his side and stared at the wall, his eyes heavy and his body achy. He needed to rest. Lin needed him in the morning. He had to be at his sharpest in order to solve this case. There was no way he was letting the person who allowed Zaheer and his gang to get into the city slip out from underneath him. He'd never forgive himself.

He closed his eyes and tried to even out his breathing to calm his mind and body into sleep.

_The lights. The lights in Korra's living room. I left them on._ Mako's eyes snapped open and he sat up. His eyes strayed to the window, looking in the direction of Korra's house. _I should go turn them off._

He threw his blanket off and quietly walked out of the room, looking back to Bolin as he left. Bolin was still sound asleep with Pabu next to him.

The estate was dimly lit by the remaining lights that hadn't been blasted by the combustion bender and eerily quiet and still as Mako walked out into the brisk air. He wasn't sure how late it was, since he couldn't see the sky, but he knew it was late enough that he wouldn't be getting much sleep if he needed to be awake at daybreak. But it was illogical to leave the lights on in Korra's house if there was no one there.

A guard was passing by Korra's house when he got there, and Mako narrowed his eyes and watched her from behind the corner of Lin's house until she kept going past Korra's house, continuing her watch. Mako sighed and shook off his suspicions. They'd find out soon enough.

Korra's door was unlocked and Mako quickly strode in and went to turn off the lights. The living room was in complete darkness within minutes, but Mako didn't feel the satisfaction he thought he would.

He stood in the middle of the dark living room and rubbed his eyes and groaned.

_You're lying to yourself, Mako. You want to see her,_ he thought. Coming to turn off the lights was a bullshit excuse and he knew it.

He lit a small flame in his hand and walked back towards her room, all the while wondering if this was okay or not. He decided not to think about it and when he got to her room he slowly swung the door open and poked his head in.

It was empty. Mako stepped in and looked around and tried not to panic.

Increasing the flame in his hand, he held it high and out in front of him and surveyed the room. The shirshu toxin darts were littered on the floor and a blanket was pooled on the floor beside the bed. Mako looked around for any sign of a struggle and found none. He hurried back out to the hall when he came to a sudden stop and saw the other door opposite the room he was just in. He'd forgotten that Korra had two bedrooms in the guest house she was staying in and he breathed out a sigh of relief.

He quietly opened the door and poked his head in and he felt another wave of relief wash over him when he spotted Korra's shape on her bed. Naga was curled up at the foot of the bed.

_Korra's fine. _Mako leaned against the doorframe and finally felt exhaustion set in. His worries melted away slowly at the sound of Korra's even breathing and he closed his eyes.

Mako didn't realize he was falling asleep when he leaned too heavily on the doorframe and he started sliding off. His eyes popped open and he managed to catch himself with the door and let out a surprised grunt.

Korra stirred on the bed and Mako quickly pulled himself up and hoped he didn't wake her.

"Mako?"

_Great. Way to go, Mako._ He held his hands up in front of him in apology. "Sorry," he whispered.

She groaned and sat up. "What-what are you doing?"

"Nothing," he answered quickly. "I was just...turning off the lights."

The room had some of the dim light from the courtyard filtering in through the window and he could almost see the skepticism on her face.

"I'm fine, Mako," she said, looking at him. "See? Just fine."

Mako wanted to slap himself on the head. Of course she would know why he was here. "I know. I just-"

"C'mere," she mumbled, waving him over.

"What?"

"Come over here," she said, her voice tinged with irritation.

He slowly walked into the room and stopped by her bed. She held out her hand to him and he took it hesitantly.

"I'm okay," she said, squeezing his hand gently. Her face was faintly illuminated and her tired eyes regarded him closely.

Mako frowned and kneeled down, resting his head on the bed next to her legs. "I'm sorry. I was just worried."

She stroked his hair with her free hand. "I know."

He squeezed her hand and then got up. "I should go."

He started to pull away when Korra tugged him back to her. "Wait," she said, pulling him down to sit next to her.

Mako plopped down beside her. "Uh-"

She dropped his hand and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly and burying her face in the crook of his neck. Mako didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her waist and buried his face in her hair, the tightness he'd been feeling in his chest all night relaxing and he felt that he could breathe properly. She was warm and her grip on his neck was tight and he could tell that she was shaking a little, just like he had been earlier in Su's sitting room.

They held each other for a long while, Mako relishing her closeness-it had been so long, and he hadn't allowed himself to think about how much he missed this. Her chest was pressed against his and he could almost feel her heartbeat, fast and nervous at first but now steady and calm. He felt the same way.

Too soon, she pulled back a little and she brought one of her hands to gently touch his face.

"Thank you," she whispered, her fingers brushing lightly against his cheek and her eyes intent on his.

He nodded and brought up one of his hands to stroke her cheek and she leaned into his touch. He leaned his head forward and touched his forehead to hers, closing his eyes as he did so. She moved a little, her nose brushing his, and suddenly he was hyperaware of her lips hovering over his. His arm around her waist pressed her closer and they stayed like this, teetering on an edge that neither of them could seem to breach.

Behind them, Naga whimpered in her sleep and the spell between them was broken. Mako pulled back and opened his eyes and Korra dropped her arms to her sides and looked at him with a sad smile.

"You should get some sleep," Mako said, releasing his hold on her. "I'll see you in the morning."

She nodded and watched him get up. Mako wanted to reach for her again, but held back and tried to smile at her. Three words that he hadn't said to her in a long time were on the tip of his tongue, but he could only say goodnight and watched her fall back against her pillows and close her eyes.

When Mako came back to his room, he was able to find comfort in the softness of his mattress and sleep came easily to him. His last waking thought was of Korra, and he was able to drift into unconsciousness with relative peace of mind. She was fine. She was safe-for the time being. She was the Avatar and in more ways than one, she didn't need him-but he'd always be there for her. In the morning, he'd be able to face the investigation and he wouldn't stop until he found the traitor. He could at least do this. He'd do everything he could to help her.

* * *

A/N: This was supposed to be a _drabble_ where Mako and Korra almost kiss but it evolved into this one-shot. Wow. I'm pretty happy with the way it came out, though the almost kiss-which was supposed to be the focal point-didn't come out as well as I hoped. I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are appreciated so I know what I did right and what I can improve on! :D


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